Monday, November 5, 2012

The Importance of Voting

The
American people will vote tomorrow, but the election is far from over. From what I have read the Obama and Romney
teams are gearing up for a post-election legal battle. I think this election will be eerily similar
to the 2000 election debacle. A lawsuit
has already been brought against the state of Florida for halving the early
voting time (from 14 days to 8 days) and the extremely long lines in heavily
democratic counties. In Ohio there is
controversy over Secretary of State Jon Husted’s decision on provisional
ballots. Husted shifted the burden of
recording the form of ID on provisional ballots from the poll worker to the
voter. This could potentially put in
jeopardy thousands of votes. As a result
voting-rights advocates filed an emergency motion with a federal judge in
Ohio. So what does this all mean? It means the results of the Ohio electorate can spend weeks or months in court. Similar to
Florida in 2000, each side will fight for recounts, for their votes to count,
and for their opponents votes to be disqualified.

Besides
making the 2012 election a debacle, and once again making American democracy a
global spectacle, there is another issue at hand. From voter ID laws to shortening early voting
time to controversy over ballots, there is an attempt to limit the size and
scope of the American electorate. A smaller, less
diverse electorate will directly benefit the GOP. The Republicans have been losing the race
with America’s fasting growing demographics and they know it.

It is no
surprise that Republic Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, has fought to decrease
early voting by a week, or that numerous Red states have fought for stricter
voter ID laws. Pennsylvania House
Majority Leader Mike Turzai planned on using strict voter ID laws as a strategy
to help Mitt Romney win his state. He
explicitly stated that voter ID would allow Governor Romney to win
Pennsylvania. Luckily for US, our system
has worked and numerous judges struck down that law and others throughout the
nation. The judges argued that the laws inhibit the elderly, the poor, and minorities (usually
democratic voters) from exercising their right to vote.

The problem
I have with the GOP is they succeed when Americans are denied their right to
vote. The ironic part is that I believe
most Americans are moderate Republicans (socially liberal, fiscally
conservative, advocates of small government).
The message of the GOP has gone so far right that they alienated large
groups of Americans. Now I truly believe
Mitt Romney is a moderate Republican, which is why I contemplated voting for
him, but it is unfortunate that he had to feign being a conservative to win the
primary. But that issue is for another
day.

The United
States of America is supposed to be the
bastion of democracy in the world.
Millions have died for rights that many of us take for granted. Just take a look at Syria and
Libya and see how people will give their lives for democracy. Unfortunately, many institutions in the US
have misplaced their attention. Both
parties should work to make sure every single eligible voter participates in
elections because only when we practice what we preach will the United States
be legitimate in promoting democracy around the world. To try to prevent individuals from voting is
the most Un-American thing one can do.

And to
reiterate that point, it is the responsibility of every American who can vote
to do so. We owe it to everyone who
died, is dying, and will die for the right to choose his or her
government. I can’t stand it when people
say, “I’m not voting, the system won’t change,” or “voting is a waste of time.” We take voting for granted, just like any
other freedom, because we have never lived without it, but ask anyone who
cannot vote how important they think it is.
So whether you vote for Obama or Romney or any other candidate all that
matters is that you vote! If you don’t like the current system then
vote for 3rd party candidates. No vote is ever wasted so get out and make
your voice heard!